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Star Fox 64
Star Fox 64 is the second Star Fox game in the series of six and the only one to be found on Nintendo 64. Star Fox 64 has a total of 16 different stages on 15 planets (counting Venom twice due to the differences from entering the level either from Bolse or Area 6). In the speedrunning community this game comes down to precise boosting, lag reduction and quick boss fights and all range modes. Different Versions of the Game To be able to speedrun Star Fox 64 you can choose from a total of 7 different official versions, being: * Nintendo 64 - NTSC * Nintendo 64 - NTSC-J * Nintendo 64 - PAL * Wii Virtual Console (VC) - NTSC * Wii Virtual Console (VC) - NTSC-J * Wii Virtual Console (VC) - PAL * iQue Player Nintendo 64 The Nintendo 64 cartridge is the most common version of this game in the speedrunning community and the version that three of the four world records are played on. This version contains a lot of lag, even more than Virtual Console, but has smooth controls making it easier to aim and control your vehicle. The Nintendo 64 cartridge exists in two different versions, 1.0 and 1.1. Both these versions work out the same in matter of speed and all of them can therefore be used in a speedrun (1.1 limits the score on Area 6 to 511). NTSC / NTSC-J The American (NTSC) and the Japanese (NTSC-J) releases of this game both runs pretty much at the same speed throughout the game and all the levels with one exception. The Japanese version of the game has an approximate two-second advantage over the American version in the two categories Red Line and 100% due to the Attack Carrier, the boss fight you enter after flying through the waterfall in Corneria, spawning enemies a little bit earlier which opens its' soft spots allowing you to deliver damage. Besides this, the two versions are equal and works out just as fine for a speedrun of any sort. PAL The European and Australian versions of the game (PAL) is not as well suited for speedruns. In pretty much all of the Nintendo 64 releases of any game, the PAL releases has a disadvantage in speed for being ran in only 50 hertz, being about 83% of the speed from the other releases which are being ran in 60 hertz. This means that in 10 minutes into a speedrun of NTSC/J would be comparable to 12 minutes into the run in a PAL version of the game, making it a lot slower. Besides this disadvantage, the PAL version works the same as NTSC. Wii Virtual Console The Virtual Console versions for the Wii has a lot in difference to the Nintendo 64. VC has two different versions released, the first one which has been substituted by the second version very soon after the first release. The first version of this game, which can not be downloaded anymore, had less lag than the second version making it faster. The second version of the VC release still contains less lag than Nintendo 64 but due to very slippery controls, making it hard to do precise adjustments, this version is not very common for speedruns and in total adds up to a disadvantage for speedruns in general. NTSC / NTSC-J / PAL The differences for the regions are the same as for the Nintendo 64. Chinese iQue Player The iQue Player is the result of a joint venture between Nintendo and a Chinese company to get Nintendo able to market their games in China under a cooperative company simply named iQue. The console is an official release, by Nintendo, and was created to get passed the ban for home gaming consoles that earlier existed in China. The console itself has all its' games memorized in the actual console, which takes the form of a controller, that you could plug in to your television to play games. The console got passed the ban due to being defined as a handheld console. The iQue Player has a total if 14 different games available for purchase and download, Star Fox 64 included. Due to the games being read instantly from the console, it delivers faster loading times and decreases the lag that otherwise is a major part of a lot of the Nintendo 64 games, played on the official Nintendo 64. It also has the same controllers as the Nintendo 64 and has even less lag than the Virtual Console. The reason why iQue Player is defined as a legit way of speedrunning various games, compared to emulators, is due to the fact that the system was developed and released officially by Nintendo. In Star Fox 64, the iQue Player can save up to minutes based on the category, 100% being its biggest advantage due to the length and the stages you have to play through. The only world record at the moment that is played on an iQue is Red Line. All others are completed with different regions of the official Nintendo 64 Categories / Routes There are currently four official categories for Star Fox 64, all being defined on different paths of the world map. Besides Any% and 100% you also have the option to speedrun Red Line and Blue Line, all to be explained below. Any% As in every speedrun, Any% is the definition of completing the game, either by beating the final boss or get to the credits, as fast as you possibly can without any restrictions what so ever as long as you keep yourself inside the game mechanics without using cheats, hacks or modifications of the game. Tricks and glitches that are doable in the game itself are valid and can be used to beat the game in less time. The route for beating Star Fox 64 in as little time as possible, starting from Corneria and finishing with Venom, includes the following stages in the order they are listed: * Corneria * Meteo * Katina * Sector X * Sector Z * Bolse * Venom 1* * Venom 1 is the definition of the stage you enter after beating Bolse. If you beat Area 6, the stage you get to is refered as Venom 2. 100% The definition of 100% in different games can be a bit more unclear and not as obvious as Any%. In Star Fox 64 you are required to obtain the scoring medal for each and every of the 15 planets in the Lylat System on Expert Mode to complete a 100% speedrun. This requires you to reset your game twice, which can be done right after you enter the world map after a stage. This saves the scoring medal but puts you back on a new attempt to run through the map in any path you choose. For Venom, the scoring medal can only be obtained once no matter if you are playing through Venom 1 or Venom 2. Although, Venom 2 is the better choice for this due to it being both faster and easier to complete the requirements for a medal. Every planet has 2 different tasks to accomplish in order to obtain a medal. First of all you need to get a certain amount of hit points (which is different for most stages) and secondly you need to keep all three of your team mates alive (yes, even Slippy, unfortunately). The route for this category can vary based on what stages you want to do early, but a general idea for a route will be listed here with the hit point required in parentheses: * Corneria (150) * Sector Y (150) * Aquas (150) * Zoness (260) * Sector Z (100)* * Corneria * Meteo (200) * Katina (150) * Sector X (150) * Titania (150) * Bolse (150)* * Corneria * Meteo * Fichina (50)** * Solar (100) * MacBeth (150) * Area 6 (300) * Venom 2 (200) * After Sector Z and Bolse you need to reset your game. This can not be done before the world map loads though, since resetting before that will cause your medals to never save as collected. ** Fichina is called Fortuna in the American and the European/Australian versions of the game, but the stage is, in fact, named incorrectly in these two versions. Red Line The definition of a speedrun of Red Line is to beat the game as fast as possible while going through the hard path, the red path, on the world map. This can only be done in one way since you need to beat all the stages with certain requirements fulfilled to be able to continue throughout the route The route for this category looks like this: * Corneria * Sector Y * Aquas * Zoness * Sector Z * Area 6 * Venom 2 Blue Line The Blue Line speedrun is defined in a way to show off more of the game and separate it from Any%. The general idea is, as in Red Line, to complete the game in a certain path, but in this case the easier path. To make this category a bit more interesting compared to Any% you are also not allowed to use any warps, which means that you will have to beat the boss on Meteo as well as the one on Sector X. The route for Blue Line is: * Corneria * Meteo * Fichina * Sector X * Titania * Bolse * Venom 1 Timing For Star Fox 64 the timer starts when you gain control of your Arwing after the cut scenes at Corneria and ends on the final hit on Andross or, if you're on the Red Line, when you lose control after escaping Andross' base. So, basically, the timing includes all parts where your gameplay can affect your time.